A man who allegedly admitted to taking a garage door opener from a car has been charged in Scott Circuit Court with committing a house burglary. Michael G. Dannheiser, 22, Scottsburg, faces a Class B felony charge of burglary and two Class D felonies of theft and receiving stolen property. He is accused of a May burglary of a Scottsburg home which he allegedly accessed by using the stolen garage door opener. He purportedly took the opener from a car owned by the homeowner’s son, who was watching the house for his mother, while she was away on a trip. Jewelry, watches and two televisions were among missing items reported.
Dannheiser allegedly admitted that he had heard the son talk about going to the house while his mother was gone to care for her dog. He said he took the garage door opener after offering to lock the son’s car for him. The suspect said he gave some of the jewelry to acquaintances, who sold it at a local jewelry shop and another shop in Madison, after Dannheiser told them the pieces had been the property of his deceased grandfather. Dannheiser pleaded not guilty to the crime on July 23 in Scott Circuit Court and was assigned a jury trial date of November 11. He was detained in jail in lieu of his $75,000 bond. The man’s legal woes increased on August 3 when he was charged in Scott Superior Court in another case based on an incident that occurred in April. Dannheiser faces Class D felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property in that court. He is accused of taking wiring from vehicles at Crop Production Services west of Scottsburg and then selling it at a recycling center. In that case, he entered a not guilty plea on August 5 and was assigned a jury trial date of October 21. Bail was set at $15,000 corporate surety/10% cash. He was provided with the services of a public defender.